Tetsuko no Tabi

I like this anime more than I thought I would; maybe I just have a softspot for storylines about otaku.  It is a clever way of talking obsessively about trains while scraping together some semblance of self-respect for not clinging to otaku-ness; this is at least the thinking of the little-known mangaka who follows the train otaku and her friend (who she realizes too late is also a train otaku).  She rides haplessly along with the other two, led by the main otaku (I'm feeling very lazy right now and so am not looking up character names - please excuse my slackyness).  After watching two episodes I can understand why there are train otakus in Japan - their railway system is really expansive and really neat.

I wonder what Banba would think about this story?

X-Men Anime: But is Wolverine hot?

The answer is, "no." Wolverine is not hot in this Madhouse retread of the X-Men franchise. Cyclops is the tragic hottie in this one, unfortunately - unfortunate because he is the most boring of the X-Men and so goes the anime itself.

Putting aside character design, the series is just "meh" so far - this is the original reason why I started concentrating on Japanese manga and anime; I had to make a break with the US-style superhero graphic novels. Now, for some reason, my western heritage is following me by having these tired superhero memes recreated ad nauseum by Japanese production houses. They apparently all take place in Japan - I started watching the Wolverine one that came out a short time ago, and quit after the second ep - yawn. At least Wolverine was hot in that version. But, even the Japanese cannot make tired old Marvel properties breathe with youthful life. I'll give X-Men another episode to make me reel and keep me hooked, but I'm not expecting much.

Got the picture of not-so-hot Wolverine from Furious Fanboys

Update 4/12/11:  Watched ep 2 last night and liked the crazy robots and the horribly mutilated young mutant was gross but interesting; my interest level has gone up a little, but I'm also starting to find the classic superhero hyperdrama a little annoying, as well.